


Paper Crowns and Empty Thrones

by nonaestheticwhore



Category: Minecraft (Video Game)
Genre: Antarctic Empire, Family Dynamics, Tommy becomes emperor
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-27
Updated: 2021-01-27
Packaged: 2021-03-13 03:14:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,340
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29021799
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nonaestheticwhore/pseuds/nonaestheticwhore
Summary: With Techno and Phil gone on a quest and Wilbur being deemed unfit to rule, the crown is given to the youngest prince.[If any content creator is uncomfortable with this, I will remove it :)]
Relationships: Wilbur Soot & Technoblade & TommyInnit & Phil Watson
Comments: 3
Kudos: 270





	Paper Crowns and Empty Thrones

Tommy never thought he'd see the day when he got to wear the crown. Technoblade was next in line for the throne, after him was Wilbur. Being the youngest was a curse and a blessing.

His coronation was brief and not well planned out, not that he was surprised. Wilbur hated the idea of having to rule an entire empire and forged his own illness to make it look as though he was now unable to be emperor while Techno and their father, the current ruler, were away on a quest that would last them an unknown amount of time. The two had been gone for almost ten months when Tommy was crowned emperor. He was awoken by his "servant", more of a friend to Tommy than anything, who proceeded to rush him through getting ready and offering no answers. He was instructed to dress in his finest attire and head to the throne room. When he entered, he was greeted by nearly the entire castle staff. Wilbur sat on his throne, a smile adorned his face and immediately told Tommy what was happening. He sends his brother a congratulatory smile before standing before the head throne. The coronation took less than an hour and he was half asleep the entire time. 

It had been nearly five months since then and the empire was doing amazing, and those weren't Tommy's own words. The many kings had agreed that Tommy was a fair ruler, however some rulers outside of the empire did not agree. They did not believe a child, _teenager_ , should rule the Antarctic Empire with little to no guidance. It was causing turmoil amongst the fellow empires that Tommy knew his father had created peace with. He decided the best thing to do would be to hold a meeting with the other leaders.

So here he sits, at the head of a table, listening to ten fully grown men bitch to each other and speak about him as if he wasn't even there.

"We need Philza back! This child is running wild with no supervision other than his sick brother!" One of them demands.

That draws a laugh from Tommy. The only sick Wilbur was is sick of ruling. 

"Is something funny, Your Majesty?" Another speaks up.

Tommy was tired of this, "Yes actually. I find it hilarious how none of you think I am fit to rule, yet my kings and their citizens have made no complaints about me. I have upheld peace treaties and ties to all of your empires and yet you still question me?"

"We just do not think a fifteen year old, a child really, should rule the most feared empire in the world." 

"I am not a child and you will not refer to me as such." Tommy sneers, "You forget that I have led my own nation before this. You forget that I am Philza Minecraft's son and Technoblade's younger brother. You forget I have been trained by both of them. The only difference between me and them is that I have patience and kindness where they don't. I have allowed you bumbling idiots to bicker back and forth much longer than either of them would and instead of throwing you out into the artic winter, I am giving you a chance to leave with guidance from my men. What you choose to do from here is not my decision."

He watches their faces pale, apologies stuttered out across the room.

"I accept your apologies and I will arrange carriages to bring you all to the docks tomorrow, for now you will rest." He leaves no room for argument.

He finds himself in Wilbur's room, sitting on his brother's bed as he plays his guitar.

"Phil will be proud," He finally speaks up.

Tommy laughs, "I hope so. This whole thing is both easier and harder than I expected and not in the ways you'd think."

"Why do you think I faked an illness to get out of it?" Wilbur teases, "But hey, if it makes you feel better, you're a better ruler than I would ever be. They'll be proud of you when they get back."

"If they get back," Tommy whispers both of their fears aloud.

Wilbur stops strumming his guitar and they sit in silence for a moment. Neither of them have voiced that thought since their family left.

"They will," Wilbur says, "They always come back, we just have to believe in them."

They don't speak on the matter again and if anyone finds them fast asleep, curled around each other like they did when they were children, no one comments on it. 

Months later, he sits in the library. He wasn't much of a reader, but it offered him some sort of quiet which he was grateful for. He wasn't able to get that recently and now understood why his father often sought refuge in the library. 

He hears the door slam open, "Your Majesty?!"

He silently groans, "Yes, I am here."

A servant rushes towards him, clearly panicked.

"What happened, are you alright?" Tommy is immediately alert at the state of the younger boy.

"Th-there are citizens from outside the empire seeking shelter! They said your father sent them, b-but the general wont let them in!" The servant stutters out. 

Rage flares up inside of him instantly and he briefly thanks the servant before pulling his cloak on and making his way to the entrance of the castle. He sees the large group of people standing outside, they looked beaten and were barely dressed for the harsh weather.

"General." He calls out, the man turns to face him, "Mind informing me on what is happening?"

The man stands straighter when he hears the tone in Tommy's voice, "Your Majesty, I was informing these people that we cannot take them in."

Tommy cocks an eyebrow, "And who told you that?"

"W-We don't have the resources," The man says.

"We don't? Because from what I recall both me and my father have made sure we have excess resources incase a situation like this were to occur." His voice has a sharp edge to it, "And either way, I don't recall you coming to me about this situation. I had to learn about it from a second source."

The general seems shocked before turning to the servant boy and makes a move to grab him. 

With little hesitation, Tommy unsheathes his sword and places the tip of it at the base of the general's neck, "Lay a finger on him and I will cut it off."

The general's hand returns to his side and Tommy puts his sword back in its sheath.

"Go. I will handle this matter without you." He commands.

The man looks as if he wants to say something, but refrains from it and leaves the courtyard.

Tommy turns towards the people, "I hear my father sent you? Is this true?"

An elderly woman steps forward, "Yes, he says we would be welcomed with open arms. We have his crest as proof."

Tommy steps down to stand in front of her and watches as she removes an envelope from her satchel. The seal on it is enough proof for him. He merely pockets the letter and smiles at her.

"We will house them here until we have a proper place for them to stay," He says to the guards.

The lady grabs his hands, "Thank you sir."

"You have no reason to thank me, if my father says you will be welcomed then you will be," He says softly.

They are led further into the castle as Tommy turns to find his brother. 

He finds him in the music hall, unsurprisingly.

"I heard what happened," Wilbur says the second he hears the door creak open, no one inside the castle would disturb him other than his brother.

Tommy steps further into the room, "He sent a letter with them. I didn't want to read it without you."

He sits on the piano bench next to Wilbur and opens the envelope. He reads the words written inside.

_My dearest sons,_

_This journey has not been kind to us, we have lost many men and have been tempted to turn back on multiple occasions. However, we must see this through to the end and so we send these people. Their village has been ransacked by the very monster we hunt. Me and Techno are attempting to keep spirits and morale high, but it is getting more difficult with each passing day. If any men that accompanied us on this return home, please welcome them back and offer whatever they might need. We have seen horrors that they were not prepared for._

_On a more lighter note, I hope things back at the Empire are well. I look forward to our return and wish it would come sooner. We have no estimate on how much longer we will be gone for and I can only hope we return to see Tommy's eighteenth birthday._

_On the topic of birthdays, we hope both of yours have been as enjoyable as they can be. We hope sixteen and twenty four are treating you well. Unfortunately, I am unable to write more without getting into gory details._

_Stay strong you two, we will return home soon._

_Your Father_

"My eighteenth birthday..." Tommy echoes softly.

Wilbur pulls him into a hug, "We can only hope they return sooner."

The months fly by quicker than Tommy realizes and soon enough his seventeenth birthday passes. He has been emperor for nearly two and a half years now. It still surprises him to think about. He has kept things as calm as possible, dealing with the occasional bump in the road.

He finds himself thinking back to his childhood more often. He was Phil's only adoptive son, they had found him half frozen in the middle of the forest. He was no older than five at the time, but he showed a fire that even some of Phil's top men didn't have. It was enough for Phil to bring him in and train him. He was still forever grateful for his father for healing him and taking him in as his own. Techno was put in charge of his physical training, he always told Tommy he wasn't going to go easy on him, but he always made sure Tommy was alright if he went too hard. Wilbur helped teach him how to read and write, always singing him to sleep when Phil couldn't.

Sometimes he'd wake with nightmares of the bodies of his father and eldest brother being brought back to the castle and every time, he would be comforted by Wilbur. He was still a kid after all. One that had been forced to grow up too soon, but there was nothing he could do but make the most of it. 

It was a cold day in late March when word spread through the castle that Phil and Techno had been spotted at the docks in the early morning. When Tommy and Wilbur caught word of it, they ran to the front gates. They hadn't been waited for more than five minutes when they spotted the carriage. 

Tommy felt his heart leap into his throat as he tugged on Wilbur's sleeve. The carriage comes to a stop and out steps the two rulers. They looked like they had aged many more years than they had been gone, carrying the weight of whatever might have happened on their quest on their shoulders. 

For a second, none of them moved. Tommy was the first to snap back to reality and fling himself into the arms of his brother and father, Wilbur following seconds later. Tommy tries so hard not to cry, he really does, but seeing his family all together again is too much. He devolves into sobs rather quickly and buries his face into Phil's thick coat. He felt like a child, but he reasons that he's allowed to feel this way just for a little.

When they finally detach, Techno takes notice of Wilbur's plain clothing and Tommy's cloak.

"I thought Wilbur was coronated?" He asks.

Phil takes notice as well, "He was? What happened you two?"

"I hated being emperor and so I faked an illness to get out of it, but by the time they realized it, Tommy had already been coronated." Wilbur shrugs.

"You let a fifteen year old become emperor?" Techno says, bewildered.

Wilbur places a hand on Tommy's shoulder, "I did and he's been a great one. Everyone agrees, except the general. His opinion doesn't count since he's always disliked Tommy."

"Your chair in the library is very comfortable," Tommy says to Phil, trying to get him to laugh.

Phil just looks worried, "Are you alright?"

Tommy is taken back by the question, "Of course I am. Why wouldn't I be?"

"You've been emperor for nearly three years," Techno supplies, "That has to take a toll on someone as young as you. Have you had any help?"

Tommy feels almost betrayed. He hated being treated like a child, even if he technically was one. He had been ruling for three years and they questioned him? He takes a step backwards.

"I'm fine." He states, "I've been ruling by myself. I haven't needed help."

Wilbur notices the defensive tone in his voice, "Tommy, they're just worried."

He knows Wilbur is right, but he's been second guessed at every turn and he was tired of it. Of course he was defensive.

A hand is placed on his shoulder, "We aren't trying to coddle you, Tommy. We just want to make sure you're okay. You're my son, it's my job to worry as your father."

He can't help but relax under his father's touch.

"Let's show you what's changed," He says smiling at them.

Tommy was a child who was forced to grow up too soon. Now he was the emperor of the world's most respected empire with his family right by his side.


End file.
